Mr.
Coffee - Joe DiMaggio, the former Yankee baseball superstar and husband
of Marilyn Monroe took on the task of becoming the spokesperson for the Mr.
Coffee easy brew coffee machines in the 1970s. For his efforts, he earned the nickname of Mr.
Coffee. Although loved my millions for his days in baseball, many of Joe's fans
thought it undignified that Mr. Baseball ("Joltin Joe") had chosen to pitch
commercial products for Mr. Coffee TV and Print ads.

"Prior to Mr. Coffee the favorite
way of drinking coffee was through the percolator. It perked up the stem
and would recycle the coffee over the grounds again and again. It was
really an outmoded way of making coffee."

-- Vincent Marotta

Cleveland inventor, Vincent Marotta created the Mr. Coffee product line. In
1973, he contacted retired sports legend, Joe Dimaggio and asked him to be
spokesman for the fledgling company. Initially, Joe declined the offer so Marotta traveled
to San Francisco and met with Joe for lunch at the Fairmont Hotel. After an
ambitious sales pitch, Dimaggio decided to become "Mr. Coffee." His association
with the product lasted for 15 years. Joe DiMaggio died on March 8, 1999.